Apple revamps all iPods, Apple TV

If you missed today's Apple Event(liveblog, video, here are the high points:

• iTunes 10 announced with new "Ping" social network
• New (tiny) iPod Shuffle
• New (tiny) touchscreen iPod Nano
• New (full sized) iPod Touch with HD camera and FaceTime
• New Apple TV with streaming, including NetFlix
• iOS 4.1 for iPhone and iOS 4.2 for iPad with bug fixes, Game Center, and Apple TV integration

Overall, a jam-packed keynote. My quick impressions:

• Unimpressed with "Ping" - I don't need ANOTHER social network
• iPod Nano seems almost too small. Teens will miss the camera from the last model.
• iPod Touch with Cameras will kill the Flip Video market completely. Worthy upgrade.
• New AppleTV looks nice, but I think I like Roku HD better.
• Looking forward to iOS 4.1, but 4.2 on iPad may be too late coming in November.

What were your thoughts?

iPhoneOS 4 Details

The announcement is done and Apple has posted the details. There is a lot of new stuff coming, but the big ones appear below.

The big 7:
1. Multitasking for Third Party Apps: Listen to Pandora while composing an e-mail.
2. Folders: More advanced organization of your Apps
3. Improved Mail: Hello, Unified Inbox and opening attachments
4. iBooks comes to the iPhone
5. Enterprise Features including E-mail encryption, advanced wireless configuration
6. Game Center: Unified social gaming - essentially XBox Live for iPhone
7. iAd: Integrated advertising in Apps, to allow more free and low-cost Apps

Apple Event - January 27

The Apple Blogsphere has been abuzz for weeks with rumors about a "special event" in late January, which many posited would be the release venue for the new Apple Tablet Computer. Now Apple has sent out official invitations to the event (pictured below). Speculation about the event is running rampant, with FoxNews claiming confirmation that the main announcements will be an Apple Tablet Computer (perhaps called the "iSlate"), details about the iPhone 4.0, and iLife 2010. Whatever is coming, it is sure to be more exciting and notable than the annual Consumer Electronics Show which closed out recently, and failed to generate much buzz for new products (mostly because the tech journalists were breathlessly awaiting the next big thing from Apple).

Missed us by THIS much

Never assume a sick day means it is going to be an uneventful day. Construction next door and rain had undermined a large old pine tree - the wind today brought it down about lunch time. The good news is it missed the house - just appears to have taken out some railings on the fire stairs. Made for an interesting early afternoon. Very thankful to God that no one was hurt. Click on the photo for a full set of pictures.